In this video, Entrepreneur Network partner Jeff Rose talks about a few lessons he has learned while launching original products and building an audience. Rose cites Noah Kagan, of AppSumo and the marketing and business blog, OkDork.com.

Kagan says, show one person what to do first, and from there, you can see what gaps are there for you to fill and improve upon.

Some of the biggest entrepreneurial success stories — Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates — all have a moment when the aspiring business leader decides to forgo degrees from prestigious institutions of higher learning in favor of attempting to get their company off the ground. Stories like these beg the question: In today’s economy, what is the value of higher education?

It depends on a number of factors, ranging from the career path you hope to pursue, what kind of home and family life you see for yourself, and your financial status. Check out the infographic below from Online College Plan to see what to take into account before deciding on an educational path.

]]>https://radlybatesassociates.com/adam-radly-bob-bates-can-successful-without-getting-college-degree/feed/0Adam Radly Bob Bates: How to Stick to Your New Years Resolutions in 2019https://radlybatesassociates.com/adam-radly-bob-bates-stick-new-years-resolutions-2019/
https://radlybatesassociates.com/adam-radly-bob-bates-stick-new-years-resolutions-2019/#respondWed, 16 Jan 2019 21:59:50 +0000https://radlybatesassociates.com/?p=217684Adam Radly Bob Bates: How to Stick to Your New Years Resolutions in 2019

When a new year rolls around, many people make resolutions in the moment, mostly based on impulse, says Entrepreneur Network partner Mike Phillips. The truth is, in order to properly achieve your goals, you have to create a solid plan.

After making these goals, make sure you are celebrating the little steps you are taking to get there. This may involve looking at your own progress and blocking out outside noise. Celebrate your wins and continue to recognize the progress you are making.

Moreover, Phillips warns that having a plan and having an idea are two different things. Establish definitive check points you can hold yourself accountable to, so your goals can become a reality.

10 Secrets to Finding a Job You Love

Research suggests that more than half of us are unhappy at work. From lawyers to brokers and CEOs, these Advisors in The Oracles are proof it’s possible to be successful and have a job you love. Here, they share how they found work that fulfills them — and how you can too.

1. Stop doing things you hate.

Gary Vaynerchuk

Image credit: The Oracles

I found what I was meant to do because I know who I am and ignore everyone else. Listen to yourself and stop doing stuff you hate. Don’t take a bad job because it pays more, and don’t go to college just to meet others’ expectations.

If you don’t know what you want to do, try as many experiences as possible. Don’t play it safe; do things that make you uncomfortable. To discover your passion, start by asking those around you about your skills and weaknesses, then triple down on what you’re good at. You’re not lost; you’re just early in the process. So stop judging yourself and be patient. Life is long.

2. Audit yourself.

Allyson Byrd

Image credit: The Oracles

Maybe you’ve felt negotiable in life, optional, or even disposable — family life, location, socioeconomic status, race, and gender all shape your self-worth. I was abandoned by a father who was in prison and raised by a mother who deeply loved me but worked three jobs. So I spent my younger years seeking validation that I mattered.

If you’re in conflict with yourself, how can you discover meaningful work? Ask yourself: Am I authentically reflecting my gifts? Do I live my purpose or seek purpose in things outside me? How am I mastering my greatness and contribution to the world?

I found my calling by exploring these questions so often that the fear of failure faded. I began to trust myself. I learned to fail with speed and agility, understanding that failure is temporary but mandatory and is your best feedback in the personal growth process.

Remember: Meaningful work isn’t about your role or money; it’s about your self-belief. Most people resist trial and error, but getting lost is part of the process. Tune your internal navigation system to personal accountability, stay true to your passions, and live the grandest version of you. That’s the fastest path to your highest calling and a life that loves you back. —Allyson Byrd, renowned sales trainer and founder of The Church of Profit Acceleration, who generated $13+ million in sales revenue for clients in 2018; connect with Allyson on Instagram

3. Bring value.

Glennda Baker LeBlanc

Image credit: The Oracles

Finding meaningful work doesn’t have to be your proverbial needle in a haystack. But you may not know right away when you’ve found your life’s passion. For me, the key to success is being able to bring value while feeling valued.

After 26 years in real estate, I’m much more passionate today than when I started. I get fulfillment from helping clients find their homes for life, which is usually their largest investment. They depend on me to bring expertise and advice to their life savings. I love when I get to make a mark on their lives. —Glennda Baker LeBlanc, associate broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices; top 1 percent of all agents nationwide, with more than half a billion in career sales; connect with Glennda onFacebook and Twitter

4. Tinker with ideas on the side.

Kenny Rueter

Image credit: The Oracles

Several years ago, I spent my off-hours building a sprinkler toy for fun. My boys loved it, and neighbors started flocking over. When I decided to sell tutorials on how to build them online, I discovered there wasn’t an easy, point-and-click platform to sell online training. So I started building one. I didn’t intend on the project taking away from my day job, but following my interests and uncovering a problem led me to create a company.

Unhappiness at work doesn’t necessarily mean you need to begin the job hunt. Instead, spend your off-time tinkering with your passions or ideas. This may give you clarity to fall in love with your job again or lead to an entirely new opportunity. —Kenny Rueter, CEO and co-founder of Kajabi

5. Try different things.

Raul Villacis

Image credit: The Oracles

I’ve been working since I was 13 years old. Back then, my motivation was money. As I got older, I realized money wasn’t enough to keep me engaged in my job. It took a while to find something that I was good at and would make money. I had to patiently try different things.

Working only for money will not make you happy in the long run. If you want to find meaningful work, ask yourself what you would do even if you didn’t get paid. Then find out who needs that service. It takes time to try enough things until you find what makes you happy. But in the end, it pays off. —Raul Villacis, CEO of The Next Level Experience, an organization that empowers high-level businessmen to become better leaders; connect with Raul on Facebook and Instagram

6. Ask how you can serve others.

Amy Sangster

Image credit: The Oracles

When I worked at a bank, my friends with executive jobs could afford luxuries, yet they rarely smiled and often complained about not having enough time to spend with loved ones. I knew then that exchanging time for money was not for me. When my now business partner, Lewis Mocker, introduced me to day trading, I became obsessed with mastering it because of the lifestyle it would provide. Although I quickly became successful, something was missing — a feeling of contribution.

If you reach this point, ask yourself how you can serve others. Without a doubt, I know I’m here on Earth to be a motivator and guide for those who, like me, refuse to settle for less than they deserve. Pay attention to what truly inspires you. What gives you a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose? What makes you feel alive? Build a life around serving others in areas that you truly value. —Amy Sangster, co-founder of Infinite Prosperity; learn to invest, trade, and build wealth with Infinite Prosperity’s free lessons

7. Do what excites you.

Oleksandr Kosovan

Image credit: The Oracles

I played with metal construction sets as a kid. I’d imagine some new machine, then try to build it. When I got the result I wanted after many iterations, I was incredibly excited. Imagination and delivery became my motivation. As an adult, I applied this approach to programming and products by creating complex algorithms to solve tasks. After days of hard work, I was extremely happy when it worked. I realized this engineering approach drives me.

What drives you? Look for this kind of excitement in your everyday life. Apply a results-driven approach to solve complex tasks in your life, and notice what brings you joy when it works. —Oleksandr Kosovan, founder and CEO of Setapp and MacPaw, whose flagship app CleanMyMac has exceeded 5 million users; co-founder and partner at SMRK VC Fund

8. Enact changes that make you and others happy.

Jason Hall

Image credit: The Oracles

You need happiness to be productive and content. Step back and really look into your situation if you’re unhappy with work. Identify what is making you unhappy and what you need to do to solve it. Most importantly, be willing to take risks and make significant changes.

In my work, I focus on transparency and creating partnerships. Our clients rely on us for solutions, and work becomes meaningful when you help others better themselves. We’re happy when our clients are happy, and we don’t stop until we hear it in their voices. —Jason Hall, author, founder and CEO of Five Channels; generating $30+ million in sales revenue for clients in 2018

9. Pay attention to your thoughts.

Guy Sheetrit

Image credit: The Oracles

I found my calling by necessity. I was a small-business owner, and traditional advertising and marketing methods weren’t working anymore. I learned website development and SEO to grow my business and really enjoyed the work, so I started doing it full time.

Pay attention to your thoughts and actions. The subconscious mind is good at reliving important events and thoughts, but they’re easy to miss if you don’t pay attention. These thoughts will help guide you to your true calling. —Guy Sheetrit, CEO of Over The Top SEO, who provides customized SEO marketing solutions for e-commerce, local, and Fortune 500 companies

10. Allow your calling to find you.

Nafisé Nina Hodjat

Image credit: The Oracles

I was practicing civil litigation when some friends got into trouble with the law. They insisted I handle their cases, even though criminal law was outside of my wheelhouse. It turns out that criminal defense is my passion, which I would’ve never known had I not fallen into it.

That said, there are unreasonable expectations to “live your passion,” which can lead to disappointment. Instead, look at your life as an amazing gift and a beautiful adventure. When you love your life, stay in gratitude, and do your best, great things show up on your path. Have faith in yourself and allow your calling to find you. —Nafisé Nina Hodjat, founder and managing attorney ofThe SLS Firm

Want to share your insights in a future article? Join The Oracles, a mastermind group of the world’s leading entrepreneurs who share their success strategies to help others grow their business and build a better life. Apply here.

19 Books to Read to Be Successful in 2019

Reading is essential if you want to be successful in business. It will expose you to new ideas and modes of thinking, and will give you access to diverse knowledge.

Whatever form of business you’re in, the knowledge you glean from books will be a bedrock to sustain you through trials and failures, and can help you boost your successes. As we enter 2019, here are 19 books to spark ideas and creative thought, and put you on solid footing to achieve your goals.

1. The Execution Factor: The One Skill That Drives Success by Kim Perell

The Execution Factor offers a straightforward approach to success by identifying 5 traits shared by people who know how to effectively accomplish their dreams and achieve their goals. Kim Perell is a highly successful startup entrepreneur, executive and angel investor. She shows that the ability to achieve success isn’t entirely based on having a great idea, an advanced degree or a high IQ. Perell believes the ability to execute is the difference between success and failure.

2. Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

In a typical farmyard setting, nothing would get your attention quite like a purple cow. According to Seth Godin’s book Purple Cow, this is the secret to successful marketing strategies — be different and exciting, generate interest and be remembered. Run-of-the-mill tactics are bland and leave your business faceless and characterless. If you want to be remarkable and get ahead of competitors, you have to make people do a double take.

3. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell examines people who have achieved success so extraordinary that it lies outside the realm of normal experiences. He explores the factors that make the difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Filled with anecdotes that identify common misconceptions, Gladwell’s book shows that success is not just a matter of IQ, but a combination of hard work and opportunity.

4. You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero

You Are a Badass at Making Money crystallizes the concept that financial abundance begins with your mindset. Jen Sincero combines hilarious personal narratives with “aha” concepts to help you grasp your earning potential and get real results. Channeling the sass and wit that made her first You Are a Badass book a bestseller, Sincero helps readers identify and overcome their limiting beliefs surrounding money.

The world’s most successful people have one thing in common: they think differently from everyone else. In How Successful People Think, John C. Maxwell lays out 11 specific ways of thinking you can practice to live a better, happier, more successful life. The book treats thinking as a discipline: the more you work at developing these skills, the better at them you’ll be.

6. Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life by Gary John Bishop

In this straightforward handbook, author Gary John Bishop gives readers the tools and advice to break through the crap that’s weighing them down. Bishop wants you to become the best version of yourself that you can be. First, though, you need to stop getting in your own way by filling your head with negative self-talk. Unfu*k Yourselfwill help silence that hateful inner critic and get you feeling more positive about yourself and your life.

7. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink

Timing is of the utmost importance in our lives. According to Daniel Pink, time of day can have a huge impact on our decision making, how well we learn and our ability to be effective and productive. Drawing from research in psychology, biology and economics, Pink reveals in When how we can best time our lives to succeed. He offers strategies for self-improvement and shows how we can we use hidden patterns of the day to build the ideal schedule.

8. Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio

In Principles, author Ray Dalio shares the unconventional principles that he’s developed, refined and used over the past 40 years to create unique results in both life and business. Through these principles, Dalio shows that any person or organization can achieve their goals. Dalio founded the investment firm Bridgewater Associates in 1975, which has become one of the largest and best performing hedge funds in the world.

9. Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life by Daymond John and Daniel Paisner

Daymond John knows that a killer work ethic can pay off. He founded a clothing line on a $40 budget by hand-sewing hats between his shifts at Red Lobster. His brand FUBU now has over $6 billion in sales. Rise and Grind is the highly anticipated follow-up to John’s bestselling The Power of Broke. He shows how grit and persistence helped him overcome the obstacles and fueled his success. He delves into the hard-charging routines and winning secrets of those who have ground their way to the top.

10. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’tby Jim Collins

How is it that some companies defy the gravity that seems to hold so many other businesses down and achieve long-term success and superiority? In Good to Great, Collins identifies and evaluates the factors that allow elite companies to make the transition from merely good to truly great. Using metrics on businesses’ financial performance, Collins and his research team identified companies that fulfilled their criteria for “greatness” and analyzed how they achieved success.

Inspired by a powerful commencement speech that Naval Admiral William H. McRaven delivered to the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin, Make Your Bedpresents 10 life lessons McRaven gleaned during his military career. Building on the core tenets of his original speech, which went viral with over 10 million views, McRaven recounts tales from his own life and from those he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor and courage.

12. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson M.D.

For decades, The One Minute Manager has helped people achieve success in their professional and personal lives. This book, which offers a classic parable of a young man looking for an effective manager, is more relevant and useful than ever. And while the principles it lays out are timeless, this new edition has been updated to help readers succeed more quickly in a rapidly changing world.

13. Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listenby Donald Miller

Whether you’re the marketing director of a multibillion dollar company or the owner of a small business, Building a StoryBrand will forever transform the unique value you bring to your customers. The StoryBrand process is author Donald Miller’s solution to help businesses clarify their marketing messages and connect with customers. Miller focuses on 7 universal story points that all people respond to and that will drive customer purchases.

14. See You at the Top: 25th Anniversary Edition by Zig Ziglar

See You at the Top is a perennial best seller that has changed the lives of countless people. It teaches the value of a building a healthy self-image, clarifies why goals are important and how to set them, and then motivates you to reach them. This revised edition stresses the importance of honesty, loyalty, faith, integrity and strong personal character. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to change the way you think about yourself and your surroundings

15. The Lean Start-Up by Eric Ries

Before you create any sort of business you’ll want to read The Lean Start-Up, as it can save you time and money you’d likely have wasted otherwise. Eric Ries looks at why most startups fail, and how those failures are preventable. His approach builds companies that are both more efficient and leverage human creativity more effectively. His methods rely on “validated learning,” rapid experimentation and specific practices that shorten product development cycles.

16. The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss

Solo entrepreneurs can learn a lot from Tim Ferriss, who made lifestyle design popular. This is a must read for anyone with an entrepreneurial itch, or anyone who dreams of escaping the rat race to live their life the way they want. Ferriss details smart strategies like outsourcing, following the 80/20 rule and automating processes. Forget the concept of working decades for retirement. The 4-Hour Work Week is a blueprint for how to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements.”

17. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie’s groundbreaking and enduring best-selling book has carried countless people up the ladder of success. How to Win Friends and Influence Peopleoffers simple advice than can help you build popularity points and expand your network. Among the important lessons it offers: 6 ways to make people like you, 12 ways to win people over to your way of thinking and 9 ways to change people without arousing resentment.

18. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

If you’d like to turn your hobbies and passions into internet gold, Crush It! is a great playbook. Gary Vaynerchuk explains the why and how of creating irresistible personal brands and how to turn your interests into a real business. Vaynerchuk provides readers with step-by-step advice on how to harness the power of the Internet to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.

19. Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington

There’s more to being successful than an impressive salary and title. Media mogul Arianna Huffington shows readers how to create a lifestyle where success is measured by something more meaningful and personal than just money and power. The Huffington Post founder shares personal anecdotes and insight on leading a happy and successful life, in and out of the office. Thriveis an excellent guide for those aspiring to elevate employee morale and well-being.

]]>https://radlybatesassociates.com/adam-radly-bob-bates-19-books-read-successful-2019/feed/0Adam Radly Bob Bates: The #1 Secret to Amazing Time and Calendar Managementhttps://radlybatesassociates.com/adam-radly-bob-bates-1-secret-amazing-time-calendar-management/
https://radlybatesassociates.com/adam-radly-bob-bates-1-secret-amazing-time-calendar-management/#respondWed, 26 Dec 2018 19:18:42 +0000https://radlybatesassociates.com/?p=217592https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/324976?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds Adam Radly Bob Bates: interesting article- TIME MANAGEMENT The #1 Secret to Amazing Time and Calendar Management Before you get much further into this article — take a minute and review your calendar because having your calendar detailed is a secret to amazing time and calendar management. If you’re like most of us your […]

The #1 Secret to Amazing Time and Calendar Management

Before you get much further into this article — take a minute and review your calendar because having your calendar detailed is a secret to amazing time and calendar management.

If you’re like most of us your calendar is probably pretty detailed. I bet some of you have every hour from when you wake-up to going to be accounted for. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, when you have a daily schedule it ensures that you get the most of out if your day. I mean why would bother adding a task or event to your calendar if it wasn’t important?

What is important — and how to prioritize.

Unfortunately, it’s not always crystal clear on what’s important. As a result, we end-up wasting time on non-priorities. For example, if you work from home, those dishes in the sink may be irking you. But, do they have to be this minute when you have a tight deadline for the project you’ve been working on?

That may seem minimal. But, what if you constantly put non-priorities over what’s really important? You’re definitely not going to be successful in reaching your goals because you’re not effective at time and calendar management.

That’s why the most successful and productive people know that the secret to amazing time and calendar management is prioritization. In the words of Stephen Covey, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

It’s important to set priorities. As an adult, you’re going to be juggling various responsibilities. This could be picking the kids-up from school, meeting a deadline, having lunch with a client, and somewhere in-between attending to your own self-care in the course of one day.

Prioritize tasks for success.

If you don’t prioritize these tasks, you’re going to become disorganized, stressed, and fail to meet your obligations. How ticked-off would your client be if you ran late for the lunch meeting because you were still in your office working? Of, what if you were late picking-up your children from school? Your partner may never, which is deserved, never forgive you for that one!

A slip up here and there is bound to happen. If you got a flat tire on the way to a meeting, that’s an unexpected event that you didn’t plan for. But, if you aren’t organizing your time and calendar by priorities, your life will keep getting more and more chaotic. Because you missed a deadline, you have to work late and skip the gym or family time. Eventually, you always feel like you’re swamped, but have nothing to show for it.

When you do focus on your priorities, you’re better suited to manage your time. You’re organized, well-prepared, and never feel like you’re falling behind. And, most importantly, you’ll always have the time to focus on what matters most in your life.

Prioritization is all well and good. But, how can you determine what your priorities are? Here’s how to prioritize for better time and calendar management.

For starters, your priorities should kept simple and clear by determining the following:

The things that are most important to you, aka your values.

The goals that you’ve achieved — these should align with you values.

What responsibilities that you have. If you work a traditional job, then from Monday through Friday during business hours, your responsibility is work.

Knowing how activities impact your life. Playing a video game on your phone during a break at work may sound fun. But, how does this make you a better employee or individual?

Knowing how to separate the urgent from the important. Just because something is urgent doesn’t mean it’s important. For instance, when you receive a new email, you don’t need to open and respond to it the second you receive it.

After you’ve taken the above into consideration, here’s some additional tips on how you can prioritize for better time and calendar management.

Create and order a task list.

“Having a big list of tasks isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it can make you feel stressed about your day,” writes Kayla Sloan in a previous Calendar article. “Rather than spending time worrying you can prioritize your list for better time management instead.”

Kayla suggests that you start with a task list. It should be kept it in a document that’s easily accessible by either phone or computer. “This way you can add to it either from work or home at any time.”

Next, you’ll need to order your list.

“Assign numbers to each item listed starting with the most pressing duties first,” recommends Kayla. “Conversely, the bottom of your list should include items that are less pressing or could be done another day.”

Choose the right things to work on.

Still struggling with separating the urgent and important? Use the simple 2×2 matrix named after US president Dwight Eisenhower to help you determine your priorities.

The Eisenhower matrix can help you distin

guish how and why you should distinguish between the two by creating four boxes. The horizontal axis represents “urgency,” while the vertical axis represents “importance.” In each quadrant you categorize each of your tasks by; important but not urgent, important and urgent, not important or urgent, and urgent but not important.

When you’re done, you’ll notice that you’ve been spending time on the wrong activities. As a result, you know now what you need to do right now, which tasks can wait, and which responsibilities you can delegate.

Block out chunks of time for “Deep Work.”

As explained in the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Cal Newport explains that this is the ability to focus on cognitively demanding tasks, without being distracted. Newport adds, “To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction.”

In the book, Newport explains how Wharton professor Adam Grant is so productive. Grant teaches during the fall semester, but conducts research in the spring. On a daily basis, he alternate between being completely isolated and having an open door policy with his students.

Even if you can’t front-load your work level like Grant — you can still apply this concept. Let’s say during the morning between 9am and noon, you work on your most important task. During this block of time, you close the office door and turn off your phone.

Additionally, you can start batching “shallow work.” These are less challenging tasks like returning emails and phone calls.

Use a calendar app.

By using a top calendar app, you can boost your productivity since you can which priorities need to be worked-on for the day, week, or month. You can also use your calendar to set reminders so that you’ll never forget an important deadline or event again.

What’s more, because you’re using your calendar app as both a to-do-list and to view your schedule, you can cut down on the amount of tools that you use.

Is this meeting necessary?

It’s been found that 15 percent of an hour long meeting is wasted. In other words, that’s nine minutes that you could have been working on something else. Before accepting a meeting, always ask if it’s necessary. For instance, a status update on a project could be done through email, Slack, or a project management tool. Meeting with a prospective client or employee could be done via 10-minute discovery call instead of an hour-long lunch meeting.

If a meeting is necessary, make sure that it:

Has an agenda that’s been sent out in advance.

Is short, concise, and stays on-topic.

Includes a small number of participants.

Has someone to facilitate the meeting.

Uses the right tech that everyone attendee knows how to use.

Don’t put others priorities over yours.

It’s not uncommon for someone to ask you for help. It could be friend asking you to help them move or colleague requesting your assistance on a project.

While there’s nothing wrong with helping others out, you should only do so when you have the availability. In other words, don’t put others priorities before your own. If you’re swamped or have a previous commitment, then you may have to say “no.” It’s not fun. But, if you’re honest and upfront, they’ll understand.

Eliminate distractions.

Email. Your smartphone. Phones. YouTube. Friends, family, and co-workers. These are the types of distractions that prevent you from getting stuff done. So, how can you block them?

One of the simplest ways to eliminate distractions is by turning-off your phone. As for your computer, you could use an app like RescueTime to block distracting websites. And, if you have an office door, you can always keep it shut while focused on your “deep work.”

If you don’t have your own office, try working somewhere more quiet like a coffee shop. Or, purchase a pair of noise-reducing headphones.

Manage your energy levels, instead of managing time.

We only have so much energy. That’s why it’s important to take frequent breaks throughout the day. It gives us a chance to replenish our mental and physical energy.

At the same time, you should also become aware of your energy levels so that you can schedule your day around that. For instance, if you have the most productive in the morning, then that’s when you would tackle your most important task during that time frame.

As Jim Vaselopulos writes in Forbes, “Consider again a task that you would unproductively toil over for an hour during your afternoon doldrums but could knock out in 10 minutes at peak energy (perhaps eight a.m.).”

If you shifted “your schedule to shorten a morning meeting from 60 minutes to 45 minutes and then spend 10 of those extra 15 minutes focused on that same task.” Eventually, “you would gain 60 minutes each afternoon.”

Work smarter, not harder.

If you want to be effective at work, while focusing on what really matters, then you need to start working smarter and not harder. After all, research shows that output decreases sharply after a 50-hour workweek.

Think before your act. Don’t just create a lengthy to-do-list and then jump into it. Think about your most important tasks for the day, which should be no more than 5 items, and focus only on them.

Measure results, not time. Don’t get caught-up in how long a task took you to complete. Instead, focus on what you accomplished during that a specific time-frame.

Have a positive attitude. Those who have a positive attitude are more likely to take initiative.

Communicate. Develop and strengthen your communication and collaboration skills so you can work with others more easily and quickly.

Create and stick to a routine. When we establish routines, we can work faster. The reason? We don’t have to think about what we need to do. And, we can prepare accordingly.

Automate more tasks. This could using tools to handle repetitive tasks to preventing decision fatigue. This is where you do things like prep your meals or outfits in advance so that you don’t have to think about them in the morning.

Stop multitasking. It’s a myth and doesn’t work,

Take advantage of procrastination. Don’t always wait until the last minute. But, sometimes a little procrastination can motivate you.

Do more of the things that you enjoy. This may not always be possible. But try to do more of the work that you enjoy.

Repeat and evaluate.

“Now that you have a system for prioritizing what you do, repeat your actions every day,” suggests Kayla. “You will probably still have days that don’t turn out the way you planned. However, the more you prioritize the easier and faster it will get.”

“On days in which your whole schedule goes out the window, evaluate to find out what went wrong,” adds Kayla. “Could you have done anything to change the situation? If so, determine what that is so you can avoid it in the future.”

Self-sabotage occurs when your logical, conscious mind (the side of you that says you need to eat healthily and save money) is at odds with your subconscious mind (the side of you that stress-eats chocolate and goes on online shopping binges). The latter is your anti-self — that critical inner voice that seems to hold you back and sabotage your efforts.

Self-sabotage involves behaviors or thoughts that keep you away from what you desire most in life. It’s that internal sentiment gnawing at us, saying “you can’t do this.”

This is really your subconscious trying to protect you, prevent pain and deal with deep-seated fear. But the result of self-sabotage is that we hesitate instead of seizing new challenges. We forgo our dreams and goals. In the end, we know we missed out, but we don’t understand why.

So what can we do to stop the self-limiting behaviors? Here are eight steps you can start taking immediately to stop self-sabotaging your success.

1. Understand self-sabotage.

Many of us are engaged in self-destructive behaviors that have become habits. We allow these behaviors to continually undermine our success and happiness, but we may not even recognize that we’re doing it. Self-sabotage is when we do something that gets in the way of our intent, or of our bigger dreams and goals. We want something, but somehow we never accomplish it. Why? Because somewhere deep in our subconscious we’re fighting against that goal.

Your subconscious probably sees self-sabotage as self-preservation; a way to safeguard and defend yourself, even if it’s no longer needed. Some of our self-sabotage is so subtle it’s easy to miss. We often fail to recognize how our actions are hurting ourselves.

We don’t see how our disorganization distracts us, or how we’re constantly overthinking all of our decisions, leaving us practically paralyzed with inaction. We don’t realize that our reactions to situations end up causing bigger problems in the long run.

2. Recognize self-sabotaging habits.

The first step to breaking the cycle of self-sabotage is becoming aware of these behaviors. Try looking at your behaviors as an outsider. What self-destructive habits, patterns and mindsets are holding you back?

Here are a few common self-sabotage habits to be aware of:

Procrastination. Instead of tackling an important project in a timely manner, you allow yourself to dawdle to the last minute. It’s hard to shine when you don’t give yourself time to fix mistakes or do a thorough job. Start setting deadlines and mini-deadlines to work toward your objective

Negative self-talk/negative thinking. Your inner dialogue is constantly critical. Are you chastising yourself for past mistakes? Are you constantly criticizing yourself? Be patient with yourself; be kind to yourself. Work to build yourself up.

Perfectionism. You tell yourself you can’t take action until the right time, or believe you need to perfect your skills before you move forward. These are forms of self-sabotage. Perfection is an impossible standard that keeps you from moving forward.

3. Identify root causes.

Many of us develop unhealthy ways of coping with stress. We repeatedly drop the ball on commitments or fail to take adequate care of ourselves, or we take our relationships for granted. We allow ourselves to react adversely to situations. But sometimes these things are so subtle that we can’t see how self-sabotage is at the root of many of our problems.

Often, self-destructive habits are rooted in our feelings of self-worth. You don’t feel like you deserve to be successful. You’re plagued with feelings of inadequacy, even when you’re trying to overcompensate by setting high goals for yourself. Some may even use self-sabotage as a twisted form of controlling their own fate.

It’s better to be at the helm of your failure than having unknown circumstances blindside you. Work on identifying and acknowledging what is causing you to sabotage yourself, and then start making changes to stop those behaviors.

4. Take time for self-reflection.

It takes serious self-reflection to understand why you keep shooting yourself in the foot in the first place.Taking the time to peel back the issues you seem to be inflicting on yourself can lead to a deeper awareness, as well as give you insights into yourself and your underlying motivations and desires.

The most successful people are those who take the time to think through their choices, decisions and actions. Successful people learn from what worked or failed to work. They then adjust their course of action by taking a different approach. Only through self-reflection will you gain the necessary insight, perspective and understanding to begin the process of change and transformation.

5. Find your inner positive voice.

Fear is often at the root of what holds us back. We fear that our inner critical voice is right. We start to worry that we don’t deserve happiness, aren’t tough enough or simply don’t have it in us. It’s time to put aside those harsh inner voices of “I can’t” or “I’m a failure.”

That negative internal dialogue is a pattern of self-limiting thoughts. Start replacing that critical inner voice with positive, encouraging thoughts.

Once you start seeing the areas and ways in which you are limiting yourself, you can start effectively countering that behavior. You can choose to not engage in self-sabotaging behavior. You can start building positive behavior and create an affirmative, confident voice to guide you.

6. Change your pattern of behavior.

Changing our negative behaviors is fundamental if we are to stop sabotaging ourselves. In every moment, we’re taking action that either moves us toward or away from the person we want to be and the life we want to have. The behaviors you keep permitting yourself to do are the ones that are keeping you from what you most desire.

Consider how the actions you’re taking and the thoughts you’re thinking conflict with your happiness and hold you back from your true potential. Then look for ways to replace old patterns with new ones that are more helpful in achieving your goals.

At first, we may need to learn to change our behavior by avoiding certain triggers such as negative people or challenging circumstances that cause us to react in unfavorable ways. If there is a stressful situation that triggers you to react in a negative way, look for ways to bypass or deflect while you learn healthy ways of handling the situation.

7. Make small, meaningful changes.

Once you’ve identified the changes you want to make, pick just one thing that you want to work on. Don’t try to make grand, sweeping changes all at once. That’s not realistic, and those huge alterations will be hard to maintain and easily given up. Instead, begin by making small, meaningful changes that you’ll slowly build to create larger transformations in your life.

If you realize you’re sabotaging your success by constantly missing deadlines, not following through with leads or simply being disorganized, take a step back and look for one small, meaningful change that you can make to set you on a more successful course.

If you’re disorganized or constantly getting off track from what you should be doing, take five minutes every morning to tidy your desk and write a to-do list. If you’re missing deadlines, sit down and come up with a reasonable timeline to get your project done. Then take steps to meet those goals, so you accomplish your objectives and build self-confidence.

8. Set goals and make plans.

We often struggle with self-sabotaging behavior when we don’t know what to expect. The unknown can make us feel off-kilter and on unsure footing. Instead of moving forward with confidence, we respond to situations negatively. We allow ourselves to crumble, and then we retreat, feeling incompetent and incapable.

The best way to counter this is to lay down solid plans and goals for the future. By having firm, thoughtful plans for each step we take, we will feel more confident about our intentions and what we’re doing. You can do this on a daily level — thinking through how you’ll respond to situations, people and circumstances.

By doing all this, you can take control of your life and banish self-sabotaging behavior.

Why Selling Girl Scout Cookies Made Me the Businesswoman I Am Today

Cookie season is coming! Beginning in January, girls across the country will be knocking on doors, setting up tables at grocery stores and using social media to sell the sweet treats that have become synonymous with the Girl Scouts. And while we can all enjoy the fun of debating whether Thin Mints or Samoas are the most delectable (Thin Mints get my vote), cookie season has a deeper meaning for me. The truth is, I would not be the businesswoman I am today if I hadn’t been a Girl Scout.

What many people don’t realize is that the Girl Scout Cookie Program is actually the largest entrepreneurship program for girls in the world — raising $800 million annually to support girls’ empowerment programs in local communities — and the skills learned go far beyond a single transaction over a box of cookies.

The program taught me how to set goals and put a plan into place, both of which are crucial skills for an entrepreneur. I also learned selling strategies — I gave my parents and friends’ parents cookie order sheets to take to their offices, for instance, launching my own little multi-level marketing network — and that it’s possible to turn a no into a yes, which came in handy when I was fundraising to launch Brit + Co in 2011.

Perhaps even more crucially, however, the program helped me develop those all-important “soft skills” so many young girls struggle with. As an extroverted introvert, selling myself or even a product doesn’t come naturally, but selling cookies gave me the confidence to persevere. I was encouraged to get out of my comfort zone and be a risk taker. By the time I graduated from college and landed my first job with Apple, determination, grit — and indeed risk-taking — were simply part of my DNA.

I was fortunate to develop those characteristics early in life, and they are at the heart of one of our missions at Brit + Co: to instill courage and confidence. We reach millions of women every month who have a lack of confidence, and our goal is to get them to take that first step. It could be an act as simple as dyeing their hair a different color or a more complicated decision, such as changing careers, moving across the country or starting a business.

One reason for the gap is that women are often excluded from the networks so critical to making connections and securing funding. Unfortunately, venture capital is largely still a boy’s club, so a key roadblock to having more female entrepreneurs is a lack of female venture capitalists. In 2017, only 8 percent of partners at the top 100 VC firms were women. The reality is that we need more women to enter the world of venture capital and make financial bets on a broader and more diverse number of female business owners.

But, VC is a risky business and women are not generally perceived as risk-takers. We didn’t start out that way though. According to the authors of The Confidence Code for Girls, between the ages of eight and 14, girls’ confidence levels fall by 30 percent; between the ages of 12 and 13, the percentage of girls who say they’re “not allowed to fail” increases by 150 percent, and more than half of teen girls feel pressure to be perfect. That’s why we need to reach girls when they are young — to encourage them to push their boundaries, trust their instincts and take healthy risks — before they are socialized to play it safe.

That’s precisely what Girl Scouts did for me, and why their programs are so vital. Whether selling cookies, learning about STEM or getting involved in the community, girls are exposed to a variety of different experiences and encouraged to dive right in. Most importantly, Girl Scouts may be one of the few places where a young girl is taught that failure is an option — and that from failure comes growth and learning. By inspiring and empowering girls at a young age, we can develop the next generation of women who can support and fund other women.

So, next time a Girl Scout knocks on your door, open it knowing you’re opening many doors for her.

Earlier this quarter, Product2Market cracked the 100-employee mark for the first time since we launched the company. I’m incredibly proud of the company’s success to date, but as with all growth, there were some pains involved.

While that certainly applies to the organization as a whole, it also applies to me personally. As CEO and founder of the company, I feel like the team hitting 100 members is truly a watershed moment, and I find myself acutely aware of how our new size is changing my own role within the company.

As the company has grown past the startup phase, I now find myself being called on to perform the duties of an executive far more than those of an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur at heart, I’d be lying if I said that transition didn’t come with some challenges.

I know I’m certainly not alone in facing this change, so for you other entrepreneursout there who are approaching the point where it’s time for your role to grow with your company, here are some of the most significant ways I’ve personally felt this big change in action.

I’m no longer as intimately involved in the who.

At Product2Market’s current size, it’s no longer practical for me to be involved in most of the hiring decisions. That’s a big change for me for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, it’s completely new. When we were smaller, I was accustomed to being involved in almost all hiring decisions, which meant I could be 100 percent certain that the people I was bringing on board were the right fit for both the positions and the culture I was trying to build.

Now, I’ve had to delegate that responsibility to my team and delegating something I always considered such a core part of my responsibility as founder can be hard. Luckily, I have an unbelievable management team that understands my vision for our culture as if it were their own.

Secondly, I’m a people person. I always loved the fact that I knew everyone that worked for me on a first-name basis and could strike up a chat over the proverbial water cooler with anyone. But, now, at 100 people, I find that I occasionally get LinkedIn requests from people I don’t even realize are members of my own team! That’s unavoidable with size, but it’s startling none the less.

The solution to dealing with that new paradigm is to accept that as a company grows bigger, it becomes impossible for the top levels of management to know everyone on a deeply personal basis, but to strive for that goal anyway.

I might not know the names of the new hire’s kids on Day One, but by maintaining my people-centric focus and trying to continue making those connections, I can make myself a better, more approachable executive.

I have to sacrifice tactics for strategy.

In the military, there is a concept called “mission command,” which is a model for decentralizing decision-making. The idea is that it isn’t practical or possible for a general or other officers in high command positions to be responsible for every mission and every decision. Instead, that commanding officer thinks only about overall strategy, providing an intent to their subordinates. Those junior officers are then trusted to make the actual tactical-level decisions to meet that command intent.

The business world works the same way — or at least it should. As Product2Market has grown, I’ve found that my role has rapidly shifted away from the hands-on CEO of our startup days to that of a strategic planner.

In an extensive study of CEO leadership styles, Harvard Business Review identified this style as “the strategy approach.” Embracing this new leadership approach has been a bit of a tough change for me because I so enjoy being immersed in the day-to-day operation of the business, but from an organizational standpoint, it would be disastrous for the company if I didn’t embrace my new role.

Managers and executives who can’t let go of tactical-level decision-making — the dreaded micromanagers — smother their subordinates. And even well-intentioned smothering is still smothering! Not only will micromanagement eventually break down an organization, but it also severely stunts the growth of the employees who should be doing the day-to-day tactical decision-making, robbing them of the chance to grow into the strong, well-rounded managers that the company needs them to be.

The key here is for executives to imagine themselves as the generals in the mission command model and to shift away from details and toward intent. In the business world, a better term to choose might be vision. Embrace the fact that your job is now to guide the big picture and then enable, and, most importantly, trust your staff with the authority and responsibility to turn your vision into a reality.

I have to accept a less customer-facing role.

When I started Product2Market, I was involved in every single aspect of every single client relationship. Customer-focus was one of the ways we differentiated ourselves, and I always went out of my way to ensure that our clients knew that I, as the CEO, was both accessible to them and personally focused on their needs.

As we’ve grown, I’ve increasingly had to turn away from that customer-facing role and toward an organizational focus instead. At the size we’re currently at, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for me to both immerse myself in the client-side of things and meet my responsibilities as the captain of the overall ship.

In another HBR study, Harvard researchers found that the average CEO spends just 3 percent of her time with customers. That’s shockingly low, and a mark I personally hope never to fall to, but it’s a clear demonstrator of how priorities have to shift away from constant customer contact as a business grows.

Failing to make this change is a big trap a lot of entrepreneurs fall into, probably second only to micromanagement. Most entrepreneurs thrive on the interpersonal side of things, and we all appreciate the importance of customer relationships, but misdirecting time and energy away from ensuring the entire machine is moving in the right direction is a sure-fire way to hamstring future success.

As different as entrepreneurs are as individuals, there are some qualities we all have in common. One is that we almost all dream of starting a company from scratch and nurturing that small seed of a startup into something big. Another is that we almost all face a certain level of difficulty letting go of the reigns once we start to realize that goal.

The most successful among us are the ones that make the transition from entrepreneur to executive seamlessly, allowing growth to continue unhindered and embracing their role as a shepherd rather than a sheepdog. Unfortunately, there are also many of us that can’t or won’t accept that transition, and those entrepreneurs almost always end up standing in the way of future growth rather than guiding it.

The key to avoiding that pitfall is to remember that even if your company started with you as the sole employee, as it grows bigger and bigger, it becomes bigger than you,too. It belongs as much to the employees — new and old — that operate it as it does to you. Fail to trust those people, and the company will slowly die. But, trust them with your baby, and enable them with responsibility, and they’ll almost always rise to the challenge, driving growth and helping you accomplish the dream you set out to achieve on day one.

Adam Radly Bob Bates: They have started many businesses-this is an interesting strategic article

6 Secrets for Giving Your New Business the Momentum to Keep Growing

Image credit: Mitchell Funk | Getty Images

Network-effect businesses and how they work

If you’re launching a network-effect business — one for which the network is more valuable as more users or customers join — it can be especially challenging. If you don’t play your cards right, you run the risk of forever rolling the boulder up the hill, never achieving positive momentum. Built and scaled properly, network-effect entrepreneurs are able to crest the hill and achieve the positive momentum of the boulder rolling down the other side: Your target users join of their own volition with little or no impetus from your company.

Generally speaking, we’re talking about two types of businesses here: one-sided networks, and two- or multi-sided networks. A classic (albeit ancient) single-sided network would be the original, landline telephone. (They’re in old movies; they plugged into the wall and had those adorable rotary dials.) Being one of the first owners of a telephone had to have been pretty useless, since you had nobody to call and nobody to call you. At that point, the network had negative inertia and was a difficult boulder to budge. But, once the number of users on the network reached critical mass — probably city by city — everyone “needed” to install a phone because it became the standard medium for remote, real-time communication.

With the advent of email, we encountered the same phenomenon. Until lots of people in your circle used it, it wasn’t a useful medium to send and receive messages, but once email had accumulated a critical mass of business and personal users, it became a “must-have” communication medium.

When Nextdoor launched as a hyper-local, private social network for neighborhoods, it couldn’t simply launch in, for instance, greater Chicago. Rather, it needed to develop a critical mass of residents in each of dozens of individual neighborhoods, from Lincoln Park to Little Village, Montclair to Mayfair, Pill Hill to Pullman. (And that’s just Chicago.)

Multi-sided network-effect businesses are very popular today, yet they’re equally as challenging to get off the ground. Think of some typical examples. The value of Airbnb was quite limited at first, before there was much “inventory” of properties for rent; vacationers or travelers might log on and fail to find a satisfying amount or quality of listings in their target location. Hailing an Uber in your city of choice wasn’t always possible, and there had to be a balance of drivers and passengers; too many of the former would lead to dissatisfied drivers unable to earn a living, while an inadequate supply of drivers could quickly lead to dissatisfied passengers.

Similarly, when Apple first launched the iPhone, there were only a relative handful of apps; it only became the pocket supercomputer cum Swiss Army knife it represents today once many tens of thousands of app developers had made their wares available to users on the App Store. EBay needed to have a balance of sellers and buyers in each product category to create a vibrant marketplace.

Secrets for successfully launching your network-effect business

Each of the examples we’ve touched on so far clearly managed to roll the proverbial boulder over the crest of the hill and achieve the glorious positive inertia that comes with a critical mass of users: More users automatically join the network, and rapid growth just seems to magically happen with dramatically less work, time and expense on the part of the company. So how do we, as entrepreneurs starting our own network-effect businesses, achieve that momentum? Here are some suggestions based on observing hundreds of startups and large businesses through the years:

1. Roll out geographically. Let’s say you’re launching a vertical marketplace to match owners of pet hamsters with hamster walkers. (Hey, it could happen.) Do you launch nationally at first? The problem there is that a hamster owner in, say, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., may not find a sufficient local supply of hamster walkers, while conversely a plethora of walkers in Kalamazoo, Mich., might struggle to find sufficient pet owners to generate business.

If you choose to roll the boulder up the hill nationally (forget globally), you’re taking on a gargantuan — and probably lengthy and costly — challenge. But, if you break it down by geography, you’re tackling a series of much smaller hills. That is, building a critical mass of people on each side of the network, for each locale, becomes a far more manageable task.

In this case, instead of needing to recruit tens or hundreds of thousands each of hamster owners and walkers nationally, you might need only a dozen walkers to launch successfully in Poughkeepsie and attract owner-clients. Then, once you’ve successfully created a local network effect in your chosen launch city, you can expand.

2. Roll out by category. Whether your network-effect startup is geography-dependent such as our hamster example or Nextdoor, you may also want to consider rolling out by category. A site specifically for buying and selling band instruments, for instance, may want to start with woodwinds, or narrow it even further to clarinets, and only expand from there once you’ve developed a critical mass of buyers and sellers in that focused category.

3. Create a playbook. As you’re working to build a two-sided marketplace effect at your selected local launch site, take the view that this is a national (or global) business in which best practices will be captured and replicated. From the outset, develop a playbook for how you’re going to roll out in each local area. Do you build up a critical mass of walkers first before “going live” in a new locale and promoting to pet owners? How? Going door-to-door in hamster-friendly neighborhoods? Craigslist ads?

Similarly, if you’re launching a non-geography-based business — let’s go back to our musical instrument example — be sure to develop a dynamic playbook so you can apply best practices from clarinets to other woodwinds such as saxophones, flutes and oboes, and how to apply lessons learned from the broader woodwind category to expand into brass instruments when the time is right.

4. Be deliberate, but also opportunistic. While being very intentional about rolling out your network by geography and/or product/service category can reduce launch costs and help ensure success, you can still leave some things open to chance. For instance, in parallel with your deliberate hamster-walking roll-out city-by-city, you may wish to also encourage users to “plant seeds,” suggesting or even launching a new area for you. If you’re starting your hamster network in Poughkeepsie and a couple of service providers want to offer their hamster-walking services in El Paso, Tex., you may want to be geographically opportunistic.

By the same token, you may find unanticipated user demand for new product or service categories such as buying and selling gerbil-walking or snake-grooming services. (Who knew?) While you need to be careful about diluting your focus, listening to your customers as you grow might suggest opportunistic paths you hadn’t originally considered.

5. Make it viral. WhatsApp no longer needs to overspend on marketing, since its users do it for them. Expats, international students, travelers, virtually anyone with family and friends in other countries, seems to flock toward the platform as an easy, cheap way to communicate globally. As another viral example, Instagram is the social app du jour for millennials — in niches ranging from foodies to fitness fanatics, it’s established itself as the place to see and be seen.

Even for niche network-effect businesses, it’s critical to look for characteristics that can make your service viral within its target audience. For instance, can you provide discounts or other financial incentives for users to recruit their friends and family, or even for service/product providers to recruit their erstwhile competitors (e.g., hamster-walkers in adjacent neighborhoods of the same city)? Borrow a page from Yelp and offer incentives for “power reviewers”? Be creative.

6. Don’t get out over your skis. Entrepreneurs who get out over their skis lose their balance and face-plant; that can be painful, or even ruinous, to your startup. So, as optimistic as we all tend to be, exercise caution as you expand to new geographic markets or categories, making sure you always offer a critical mass on both sides of your network. Listen to your customers and ensure customer satisfaction.

Finally, as you launch and scale your network-effect business, remember that there is no formulaic “correct answer” to many of the variables that will create success. Whether you live in Rochester, N.Y., or Rochester, Minn., or Rochester, Mich., it’s OK to consider starting your business where you live and then expanding in a logical way. If you’re connecting buyers and sellers of used band instruments and are a passionate trumpeter, you may want to start there. If, alternatively, you’ve found a great source for used alto saxophones, that may dictate a logical starting point. As important as it is to be thoughtful and considered, don’t overthink things looking for a magical right answer.